Beef’s creator reveals he was forced to change script as there were 'deaths everywhere'
Beef's creator and writer Lee Sung Jin revealed people were worried about him after the show's original script was filled with lots of deaths.
Watch the official trailer for BEEF on Netflix
Beef is Netflix’s new comedy-drama series that follows handyman Danny (Steven Yeun) and entrepreneur Amy (Ali Wong) in their ongoing epic feud that was sparked by their road rage. However, it appears things could have been much worse for their characters as the show’s creator Lee Sung Jin revealed there were “deaths everywhere” in the original script.
Following the premiere of Beef earlier this month, creator Lee Sung Jin and executive producer Jake Schreier revea the drastic changes they had to make to the original script.
Among other Beef revelations, the pair detailed how the original script had “way more deaths” than what was shown to fans.
When Jin was asked about how he came up with the unexpected turn which saw Danny and Amy’s hostage situation, he admitted it was originally a completely different outcome.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Jin recalled: “It did come out of the left field. Narratively, there's something to be said of just pulling the rubber band as far as you can until it snaps.”
He then admitted: “When I wrote the outline, there were way more deaths. Just deaths everywhere. Everyone was like, "Sonny, you okay?" Even Jake called me.
“Jake was like, ‘Hey, buddy…’ And the studio and network, they rightfully were like, 'We love it, but maybe not everyone dies’ And they're right,” he added.
After realising he may have gone too far when it came to the death count, Jin went back to the drawing board.
He did this by assessing “what is the most important thing going on” for his main characters, Danny and Amy.
The creator explained: “For Danny, it's his brother, and for Amy, it's George. And so having those two north stars really settled the episode into what it really is about emotionally.”
Beef’s executive producer, Schreier, also noted: ”Yeah, there's a lot of heightened cinematic stuff in the show, and that's obviously very fun from a directing perspective.
“But it all comes from characters. And our characters are so flawed that it's not a Michael Mann version of a hostage situation.
“It comes from a lot of really, really poor decisions and people who aren't experienced at operating on this level,” Schreier explained.
When it came to Jin’s inspiration behind the whole show, it turns out that a real-life experience prompted him to write the comedy-drama.
Speaking to Express.co.uk and other media outlets, Jin addressed whether or not the series is based on a true story.
Jin explained: “Yeah, it was a typical road rage thing where, you know, the light turned green. And I didn't go fast enough.
“And it was also a white SUV, that was a BMW though,” he added, referring to how the incident in Beef also involved a white SUV vehicle.
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The showrunner then added: “And for some reason that day, I was like, I’ll follow you, and I didn't really have a plan in my mind.”
But Jin didn’t take his ideas for his series to the drawing board straight away as he admitted it was “like a year, or a year and a half” before he even started putting ideas together for the show.
“I don't advise doing road rages,” Jin then as he joked: ”But it does lead to shows!”
Although Beef is not solely based on Jin’s real-life road rage experience, it does follow a canny resemblance.
Beef is available to stream on Netflix in the UK and US.